When in Phuket’s Cherngtalay area, countless options might make it hard to pick the right dining venue. But if you long for a restaurant with a green al fresco space and open air gin-focussed bar, just perfect for lounging with refreshing cocktails followed by a real deal Thai-fusion meal, have we got the place for you.
Suay, meaning ‘beautiful’ in Thai, is the brainchild of owner-chef Tammasak “Noi” Chootong, who was raised and then trained in Germany. Suay (Cherngtalay) is listed in 2022 MICHELIN Guide Thailand. Chootong updates Thai food with modern techniques he learned abroad, resulting in dishes that are not only delicious but also boast an artsy presentation. You can find intriguing descriptions on the menu that hint at a mix of both Thai and western ingredients, like grilled lemongrass lamb chops with papaya salsa and crab cakes with Sriracha chilli aioli and mango chutney.
A culinary journey from Germany to Phuket
Back to where it began. During his years living with his family in Germany, Songkhla-native Chootong made his first step into the culinary world at Ueberkingen Culinary School majoring in Kitchen Development. After graduating in 1994, without surprise, his second step was to accumulate expertise at the kitchens of leading German hotels and restaurants. Among them are MICHELIN-Starred Top Air in Stuttgart (permanently closed in 2020) and Taku (One MICHELIN Star) in Cologne, best-known for a flavourful fusion of Asian cuisine.
Chef Chootong later returned to his motherland and worked as an executive chef at several leading hotel chains in Phuket, including the JW Marriott, and also at Banyan Tree’s Saffron Thai restaurant before he decided to start his own restaurant inside an old Peranakan building on Phuket Old Town’s Ta Kua Pa Road. The building later became Suay’s location.
An expansion from Old Town to upper Phuket
After just a few years, this contemporary Thai restaurant with a ‘beautiful’ name is now a must-visit spot in Phuket, expanding to this location in Cherngtalay with a relaxing green outdoor space and airy, high-ceiling indoor zone with Instagrammable Portuguese-tiled and cement floor. Here your meal is served on long teak wood tables selected by Chef Chootong himself to add a rustic touch.
The chef describes his food as contemporary Thai according to cooking techniques and ingredients. Grilled minced lamb skewers (using lemongrass stalks instead of bamboo skewers) served with kebab sauce is an excellent appetiser choice that demonstrates his cooking technique.
If you love the buttery taste of foie gras, venture no further than the foie gras wrapped in betel leaf with candied ginger, showcasing creativity by blending French ingredients with the traditional Thai ‘Miang Kham’ recipe. Outstanding east-meets-west creations are Suay’s signature tuna carpaccio with ponzu sauce and the wasabi ice cream that will make you forget how Japanese enjoy sushi and sashimi with wasabi for a while. Here you will have a refreshing bite of a unique take of the pungent paste usually meant to enhance the raw fish flavours.
Other desserts are equally innovative. No typical mango sticky rice here. More like deep fried rolls stuffed with tropical fruit and sticky rice, paired with sesame ice-cream.
